Tomorrow's News Today

An example of a $603 shirt from Philipp Plein courtesy of its official website

New to market retailer opening at Phipps Plaza

Philipp Plein, a 38 year old German fashion designer who admittedly I'd never heard of until this week, is opening a new boutique in Phipps Plaza. Plein's first career was in furniture design but he eventually pivoted to clothing with the launch of his fashion brand in 2004.

The new Philipp Plein store, which will occupy the former Versace space in the Saks Fifth Avenue wing (Versace previously relocated to the old Juicy Couture in the Nordstrom wing), is expected to open in time for the holiday shopping season.

According to building permits on file with the City of Atlanta, $323,000 is being spent to "uplift" the store. By my brief calculations, that amount of money would buy a few dozen T-shirts at the store.

Similar in style to brands like Von Dutch, Royal Underground and Ed Hardy, Philipp Plein's speciality appears to be graphic T-shirts. Browsing the official Philipp Plein website reflects T-shirts that start at about $300 and go up to $600+.

Philipp Plein also carries assorted button down shirts, jackets, shorts and other related apparel for men, women and kids.

The offerings of the store seem to be a better fit for Lenox Square, perhaps in place of Pure Denim, on the second floor of the "Luxury Wing."

Personally I don't see the appeal of the label and question whether it has enough brand awareness to be successful in the Atlanta market.

Have you heard of Philipp Plein? Would you spend over $500 on a T-shirt? Do you think Philipp Plein will be successful in Phipps Plaza?

Please share your thoughts below.

Memphis-based Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken, which opened its first Atlanta area location last year in Peachtree Center downtown, is adding a second area location. The next Gus's in metro Atlanta will open on Roswell Road, just south of Abernathy Road, in place of both Clay's Sports Cafe and InstaLoan. Gus's will combine the two spaces (1,894 and to 1,925 square feet respectively) to form a single, nearly 4000 square foot space. Clay's, a local wing institution for over 25 years, is expected to vacate its current space by the end of July. A real estate source indicated that Clay's is in talks to lease another space along Roswell Road, and if all goes well, the new location could open before the end of the year. Pending permitting, Gus's is expected to open in time for the holiday season and is reportedly already looking at adding as many as five other locations in metro Atlanta.

A new Waffle House on Chamblee Tucker Road, just off I-85, is slated to open June 9th. The current Waffle House restaurant, located next door at 2824 Chamblee Tucker Road, previously thought to be closing, will reportedly be converted into a catering/commissary facility. A representative from Norcross-based Waffle House was unable to confirm the plans, but an employee at another nearby Waffle House contends the plans are in place for the catering conversion.

Altar'd State, a Knoxville-based Christian clothing store, is coming to Perimeter Mall. The store will occupy a nearly 4,500 square foot space adjacent to Mori Luggage & Gifts, on the second floor of the Dunwoody mall. Designed to appeal to "mothers and daughters," the Altar'd State girl "can be 14-40," with the chain seemingly trying to emulate Anthropologie. Altar'd State, which started in 2009, currently has about 70 locations including existing Atlanta area stores in Buford at the Mall of Georgia, Marietta at the Avenue West Cobb, and in Forsyth at The Collection at Forsyth. A rather in-depth article by retail/fashion blog Racked last year delved into the secretive operation that is Altar'd State.

A new LA Fitness is planned for Woodstock Road (Highway 92) in Roswell. The new 37,000 square foot facility will be built near the intersection of Hardscrabble and Woodstock Roads, just north of the Manchester Place townhome community. The new fitness facility will be built on roughly 5.3 acres and will provide parking for nearly 250 vehicles.

Ford Fry's latest restaurant, a second Superica, his Tex-Mex offering, is reportedly on track to open June 13th at Buckhead Court on Roswell Road in north Buckhead. The restaurant, which replaced a shuttered Outback Steakhouse, has been delayed a few times and was originally expected to open in May.

Taka Sushi & Passion is now open at Gateway on Roswell Road in Sandy Springs. The popular sushi restaurant was forced from its original home on Pharr Road earlier this year (yay, more apartments!) after which it shared space with Cafe at Pharr on Peachtree Road ahead of its permanent relocation to Sandy Springs.

Fish Hippie, a growing retail brand similar to Southern Tide and Vineyard Vines, has opened a signature shop in conjunction with Town & Country on Roswell Road in north Buckhead. The store, similar to Lilly Pulitzer's Mint Julep in Peachtree Battle, focuses heavily on the Hippie Fish brand but also carries also complimentary brands such as Ariat and Barbour.

Georgia's newest Bojangles' is scheduled to open Monday June 6th at 6922 GA Highway 85 in Riverdale.

Culver's is coming to Canton!

I have now confirmed the previously undisclosed location of Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin-based Culver's in Canton. The new, approximately 4300 square foot restaurant, will be built in an outparcel Hickory Flat Commons, an existing Kroger-anchored center, located at the intersection of Hickory Flat Highway (SR140) and Hickory Road, in Cherokee county.

The new freestanding restaurant, which will be situated beside Chase Bank, will have a drive-thru and will also provide inside seating for about 100 patrons.

Culver's, popular for their frozen custard and signature ButterBurgers, entered the Georgia market earlier this year with a location in Dawsonville, just north of the North Georgia Premium Outlets.

Typically, Culver's restaurants are open seven days a week, 10:30AM - 10PM and feature a rotating "flavor of the day" frozen custard as well as Wisconsin Cheese Curds and assorted others sides.

The Canton Culver's is expected to open before the end of the year.

As I was first to report earlier this year, Culver's has a number of new locations in the pipeline in Georgia.

Culver's is expected to open on Newnan Crossing Bypass in Newnan by mid-July.

Culver's in Lawrenceville will be on Scenic Highway, just north of The Shoppes at Webb Gin. The freestanding restaurant will join existing and recently opened freestanding locations of IHOP and Discount Tire.

In Buford, Culver's will open at 2924 Buford Drive, just south of Mall of Georgia, in an outparcel of Floor & Decor (former BrandsMart USA). Culver's will join Waffle House and Pep Boys nearby. The restaurant has yet to break ground but is expected to open before the end of the year.

In Grovetown, just outside Augusta, Culver's will build a new restaurant in an outparcel of an existing Walmart Supercenter at 4020 Gateway Boulevard. Culver's will open beside an existing freestanding Arby's, and across the street from an existing Applebee's. The restaurant is expected to break ground late spring/early summer and should open before the end of the year.

Are you excited for Culver's in Canton? Where else would you like to see Culver's open? Freddy's, Steak & Shake or Culver's, what's your favorite?

Please share your thoughts below.

Typical Cook Out exterior

Growing burger chain lands another location.

North Carolina-based Cook Out, which specializes in "Char-Grilled" hamburgers" and features over 40 different flavors of milkshakes, is coming to South Cobb Drive in Marietta. Cook Out is also famous for its $4.99 combo meal which includes a sandwich, two sides and a drink. (The combo can be upgraded for a dollar to include a milkshake instead of a drink.)

The "new" restaurant will open in place of a former Krystal restaurant near the intersection of South Cobb Drive and Pat Mell Road. The roughly 2,800 square foot freestanding restaurant will be renovated to suit Cook Out's needs.

Cook Out is no stranger to renovating restaurants, especially around Georgia. Since entering the Georgia market via a former Bojangles'in Statesboro in 2013, the burger chain has grown to nearly 30 locations, many in converted restaurants.

In Atlanta, Morrow, Rome, Lithonia and Gainesville, Cook Out opened in former Mrs.Winner's locations. On Ponce de Leon Avenue in Atlanta, Cook Out occupies the former Zesto. In Warner Robins, Cook Out opened in a former Checkers which was originally a Hardees. In Tucker, Cook Out also opened in a restaurant building originally built as a Hardees. In both Marietta and Augusta, Cook Out opened in former KFC restaurants, while in Savannah, they occupy a former Wendy's.

In addition to the South Cobb Drive location, Cook Out has locations coming soon to Scenic Highway in Snellville and Glenwood Avenue in Dalton. The Scenic Highway restaurant is being built in place of a former bank and will share the parcel with a new Taco Bell. The Dalton restaurant is being built in place of a former Shoney's restaurant.

Are you excited for the upcoming Cook Out on South Cobb Drive? Where would you like to see Cook Out open next? Do you Cook Out has the best combo meal in town?

Please share your thoughts below.

The renovated Hollister at the Mall of Georgia in Buford

Hollister at Lenox Square will soon undergo extensive renovations. As a brand, the teen retailer is known for its beach shack front porch entrance, but that concept is being phased out in favor of a more modern approach. According to a building permit on file with the city of Atlanta, just over $334,000 will be spent on the renovation. An existing Hollister at Mall of Georgia was recently renovated and sports the new look with, among other things, more windows and better lighting. Hollister's Lenox Square renovation follows the recent renovations of Banana Republic and Aveda, and comes on the heels of Gap's current renovation.

Reclaim It Atlanta, a store similar to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, is closing its store on Wendell Court, just off Fulton Industrial Boulevard in southwest Atlanta. The nonprofit indicates than an unidentified "Real Estate Investment Trust" (REIT) purchased their facility and that they must vacate the property by June 24th.

Sonic plans to open a new restaurant late this summer in Gainesville. Sonic, a chain popular for burgers and shakes, will renovate a 4,000 square foot former Chick-fil-A restaurant at the corner of Shallowford Road and Pearl Nix Parkway. The freestanding Chick-fil-A restaurant which opened in late 1996, relocated to a larger, more accessible restaurant at 805 Dawsonville Highway last summer.

The new Chick-fil-A at Fuqua Development's Glenwood Place is expected to open tomorrow at 6AM. Ahead of the opening, at least 100 would-be customers are expected to camp out at the restaurant after which they will be awarded a "First 100" card from Chick-fil-A good for 52 #1 meals (free food for a year.) This is likely to be the last Chick-fil-A opening intown for a while, although there is talk of a Ponce de Leon location and renewed rumors of a location to come in Brookhaven.

A new Bojangles' is coming to Cumming. The roughly 3,800 square foot freestanding restaurant will be built near the intersection of Keith Bridge and Browns Bridge Roads.

A new Cook Out restaurant is planned for Fort Oglethorpe in northwest Georgia. The new freestanding restaurant would be built on the site of a former bank on Battlefield Parkway between Almar and Van Cleve Streets. When it opens, the Fort Oglethorpe location will be the chain's 28th in Georgia. Earlier this week, I detailed Cook Out's plans to open another new restaurant on South Cobb Drive in Marietta.

Jackson, Georgia-based Jones Petroleum will be opening a new convenience store at its existing gas station on Lee Street in Lithia Springs. The new C-store will feature both Subway and Dunkin' Donuts in addition to traditional offerings.

The Bonefish Grill restaurant that I first wrote about last February may finally start construction. The restaurant will be built on a vacant outparcel of Akers Mill shopping center, along Cobb Parkway. According to several employment websites, the restaurant has already started the hiring process, seemingly a little early with construction yet to begin. Sources say the restaurant should open by the first quarter of next year.

Denver, Colorado-based CorePower Yoga plans to open a fifth studio in metro Atlanta in the coming months. With three studios open (Buckhead, North Druid Hills and Ponce City Market) and a fourth coming soon to midtown, a fifth studio is coming to Sandy Springs. The new studio will open in a 4,500 square foot space to the right of Trader Joe's, in Sandy Springs Plaza on Roswell Road. By comparison, the studio coming to Spire in midtown is just over 5,300 square feet.

As expected, 04W Pizza, a popular New Jersey-style pizzeria in the Irwin Street Market, is closing. When I broke news of their upcoming location in Duluth, the writing seemed to be on the wall that their intown location would not last. The Irwin Street Market, seen by many as an incubator for new concepts, allowed for pizzeria owner Anthony Spina to "prove" his concept but with his success, he has outgrown the space. Spina will not change the name when he opens Duluth. Although it has not yet been made public, it would not surprise me to see Spina reopen elsewhere intown once he gets the Duluth location up and running.

Without a new tenant, the 25,000 square foot former Borders Books & Music at East West Commons is likely destined for demolition. An Arizona-based entity, "ARCP MT AUSTELL GA LLC", is proposing the construction of a new retail and restaurant center in its place. It's unclear at this time what if any tenants have shown interest or committed to the project.

A new-to-market electric bike retailer is headed to Brighten Park (Loehmann's Plaza). ElectroBike, with global headquarters in Mexico City and U.S. headquarters in Encino, California, sells a variety of battery powered bicycles, starting at about $1000 and going up to about $2100. The bikes are foldable and their batteries can charge in about two hours. The business is being franchised in the U.S. in partnership with the brand's sole domestic distributor, Curbside Commuters. According to the franchise materials, Curbside Commuter is "offering franchisees the opportunity to be part of a fast-growing, high-margin industry, and the flexibility to add or subtract current leading edge and/or fast-selling products to keep your business at the forefront." The new store in Atlanta will be first in the southeast. The approximately 1200 square foot store will open near CorePower Yoga, to the right of The Fresh Market.

British retailer to enter Atlanta market.

London-based Ted Baker plans to open its first Atlanta area boutique in Buckhead's Lenox Square. The 3,000 square foot store will occupy a large portion of the former Façonnable space to the right of Vineyard Vines. (The remaining approximately 1,500 square feet is being marketed to another retailer.)

Façonnable closed at the end of last year and its space had since been the temporary home of Aveda as they awaited the renovation of their space.

According to the Ted Baker website, the only local store that carries the label currently is Bloomingdale's (in Lenox Square) which stocks both the men's and women's line of clothing and accessories. In other markets, Ted Baker is also carried at Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom, among others.

Ted Baker at Lenox Square is expected to open later this fall, in time for the holiday shopping season.

Are you excited for the opening of a Ted Baker store in Atlanta? Do you think Ted Baker will succeed in Lenox Square? Should Ted Baker have opened on the westside or in Ponce City Market instead? Or in addition to Buckhead?

Please share your thoughts below.

Pizzeria calls it quits after short stay at suburban mall.

Varasano's Pizzeria, the Atlanta-based pizza shop from Jeff Varasano, has closed its location at Perimeter Mall in Dunwoody. The restaurant, which opened just this past October, was located at the front of the mall between Urban Outfitters and The Pub.

The restaurant, which was first announced in the summer of 2014, was then said to be on track to open by the fall of 2014. Complications related to the combining of multiple spaces to to form the restaurant were both costly and slowed the build-out process.

Varasano's opened this past October, and according to Varasano, lackluster Black Friday sales spelled the writing was on the wall that the restaurant was in trouble.

Management tried a number of "remediation" tactics including switching from counter service to full service and making better use of their speakeasy, but in the end, there was simply not enough traffic to sustain the business.

Sources tell ToNeTo Atlanta that the restaurant abruptly closed after dinner service Wednesday, and that movers are on location today clearing out the space.

A previously planned location at North Point Mall in Alpharetta, which long ago I'd heard was dead... is officially not happening.

When reached by phone earlier today, Varasano blamed lower than expected traffic at the mall for the restaurant's closure, while other industry observers cited complexities in the concept and far too wild an interior, for the restaurant's demise.

Aside from classic Varasano's pizza, the restaurant also housed a "hidden" speakeasy called "The Vanguard," as well as featuring over 30 flat screen TVs in an effort to attract the sports-bar crowd. The restaurant also had a semi-private "living room" for lounging and sports viewing or private gatherings.

Varasano's also had a severely underutilized satellite bar, "Oasis," located just outside the restaurant. Varasano tells me that the bar was abandoned months ago, after it proved to be an unprofitable endeavor.

Perimeter Mall is in the midst of a multi-million dollar renovation, one that is slated to include a full update of all the stores/common areas around Varasano's. The updates around the pizza restaurant, which were reportedly on track for early this year, are now scheduled to begin within the next couple of weeks.

According to Varasano, the Perimeter location produced the best pizza he'd ever made but he felt the Dunwoody crowd simply didn't take to it.

The original Varasano's in the lobby level of the Mezzo apartments on Peachtree Street in south Buckhead remains open along with a licensed location at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. While it is my understanding that the airport location does well, there has long been talk of the Buckhead outpost relocating due to its "challenged" location and limited parking. For now, Varasano is hitting the "pause" button.

Perimeter Mall recently welcomed Cowfish, a Charlotte-based burger & sushi restaurant, and will see the addition of Shake Shack later this fall. A new, larger Apple store is also on track to open in time for the holiday shopping season. Real estate sources indicate there is already interest in taking over the Varasano's space.

Are you surprised to see Varasano's close? What would you like to see open in its place? What is your favorite Perimeter Mall restaurant?

Please share your thoughts below.

New and expanding restaurants are coming to Cumberland

Smoke and Duck Sauce and Piu Bello will soon open on Powers Ferry Road, not far from the Wildwood office park in the Cumberland area. The two restaurants will open in adjacent spaces previously occupied by Einstein Bros. Bagels and Caribou Coffee, respectively, in a center anchored by CVS Pharmacy. Both restaurants hope to be within the halo effect of nearby SunTrust Park and the adjoining mixed-use development The Battery.

Smoke and Duck Sauce is a new concept being opened by Gary Lin of Buckhead's Chow Bing restaurant. Smoke and Duck Sauce will feature a handful of favorites from the Chow Bing menu, but will be a very different concept. Offering table service and assorted beers, Smoke and Duck Sauce will specialize in smoked meats, and assorted sides like vegetable spring rolls, smoked chicken wings and waffle fries. Duck Sauce, for those who may not know, is a fruit-based sauce popular in Asian restaurants, that has nothing to do with duck, as an animal, or meat. If you'd like to learn more about Duck Sauce, read this.

The restaurant's official branding is "Asian American BBQ," with plans to incorporate an origami theme throughout the restaurant and its menu.

I've been hearing about this new concept from Lin for a while and am told that the restaurant should be open by the end of next month.

A second Smoke and Duck Sauce is already in the works and will open in Suburban Plaza. The Decatur area restaurant will open adjacent to LA Fitness, in an endcap space that will also include an outdoor patio. Lin tells me that while his ducks are in a row (no pun intended) to open in Decatur in the fall, an exact date is difficult to provide, given the possibility of permitting delays. Suburban Plaza's website, maintained by property owner Selig Enterprises, indicates the restaurant's name is "Chow Batta," a name Lin originally intended to use, but has since abandoned.

Piu Bello, a primarily takeout/delivery pizzeria, currently has one location in Buckhead's Piedmont Peachtree Crossing shopping center. If memory serves, the Buckhead outpost opened in 2008. Owner Dorel Boicu plans to open around the same time as Lin, likely in mid-to-late July.

Does the Smoke and Duck Sauce concept appeal to you? Do you think Smoke and Duck sauce should provide counter service or table service? Are you excited for the expansion of Piu Bello?

Please share your thoughts below.

New restaurant meant to complement park

Jason McClure, formerly of both FLIP Burger Boutique and the short-lived Villains in midtown, is working on a new project. (McClure maintains a minority ownership of Hi-Five Diner, Villains' replacement.) "Wade's," a new restaurant planned for Smyrna, will be a family friendly, local restaurant. Named for McClure's father Wade, who passed away a few years ago, the restaurant's logo features a cardinal, a bird the McClure's believe Wade lives on as.

The two-story restaurant will built adjacent to Concord Linear Park near the corner of Concord Road and Hollis Street. Overall, the restaurant will be about 3,500 square feet and will have a bar and patio on each floor. In an effort to match its surroundings, the exterior of the restaurant will feature a dark wash brick with complementary window treatments and a large cardinal stencil on the Concord Road facing wall.

Athens-based E + E Architecture is working with McClure to design the restaurant. E + E has previously worked with Alex Brounstein on his Grindhouse Killer Burgers restaurants in Athens and Decatur, and also with Creature Comforts on opening their Athens brewery in the former Snow Tire Company building. (Brounstein and McClure were partners in Villain's and now in Hi-Five Diner)

McClure, a father and Smyrna resident, says the restaurant is "for the community," but says he sees its core demographic as 30-45 years olds with families. McClure describes the concept as a "fine dining/casual hybrid," further likening it to a more approachable Husk. (Husk is an upscale restaurant helmed by James Beard Award-winning chef Sean Brock, with locations in Charleston and Nashville, and new locations coming to Greenville,SC and Savannah.)

Last night, the Smyrna Planning & Zoning Board unanimously approved the rezoning of the subject property from LC (Limited Commercial) + GC (General Commercial) to MU (Mixed Use) Conditional. When asked about about the restaurant's projected opening, McClure indicated his builders say he can be open by the end of November, but he is planning for a January opening.

When open, McClure envisions hosting "occasional" live music such as acoustic guitarists. Wade's will serve lunch and dinner seven nights a week, 11AM to 10PM Sunday through Thursday and 11AM to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

Menu items will range from about $10-13 for sandwiches and low $20 range for large entree plates.

Wade's will share parking with the adjacent park but will have about 100 parking spaces and is within walking distance of many single family homes.

With the new home of the Braves, SunTrust Park, about three miles from the restaurant, McClure tells me there is a plan being worked out now to offer transportation to and from Braves games. The planned service would be complimentary for customers and would be run in partnership with a number of Smyrna area restaurants and the City of Smyrna.

Smyrna Restaurant Concepts, LLC is the holding company for the new Wade's operation. I asked McClure whether, as the name suggests, there are plans for additional concepts, and he said yes, but the timeline would be dependent upon the reception that Wade's receives from the neighborhood.

Are you excited for the addition of a new restaurant to the Smyrna area? What items would you like to see on the menu at the "family friendly restaurant?" A free shuttle to and from SunTrust Park, pretty sweet, ay?

Please share your thoughts below.

Downtown Atlanta's new Walgreens, originally slated to open June 10, is now "tentatively scheduled" to open June 24th. The store, located in the Olympia Building at the corner of Edgewood Avenue, Peachtree Street and Decatur Street, has been in the works since 2014. The Olympia Building was built between 1935 and 1936 and the new Walgreens recreated the motif of the building's former anchor tenant, Wormser Hats.

Emory Healthcare has leased the 6,500 square foot former Justin's Restaurant and Bar at 2200 Peachtree Road in south Buckhead. The building will reportedly be completely renovated to serve as as a medical office that focusing on primary and specialty care. The building is expected to reopen at the end of 2016. Over two years ago, Buffalo Wild Wings announced it would be moving its Lenox Marketplace location to the Justin's building, but after filing for initial permits, they abandoned those plans.

Metro Atlanta's newest Bojangles' opened yesterday at 4071 Cherokee Street in Kennesaw. The freestanding restaurant is a franchised unit and is operated by Trickum Ops, LLC.

Penn Station East Coast Subs, Sport Clips and Burger Fi have signed on to join previously committed tenants Jason’s Deli, Paciﬁc Dental, AT&T and Willy’s Mexicana Grill at Duluth Highway Shops. The recently built center is located in the 900 block of Duluth Highway in Lawrenceville.

According to Mike Thornbrugh, manager of public/government affairs for QuikTrip, the new "gas-less" QT in midtown is scheduled to open next Thursday June 23rd. As of now, the location, at Peachtree & 6th Streets, will maintain typical QT hours (24/7) but could see its hours tweaked depending on demand/traffic. The QT will feature an increased variety of prepared and packaged foods and will also feature limited outdoor seating.

Additionally, Thornbrugh indicated that the controversialQT planned for Howell Mill Road is finally progressing, with a recent second appeal from concerned residents having been denied. The sixteen pump gas station and convenience store will be built on Howell Mill Road between Chattahoochee and Defoor Avenues. Although Thornbrugh was unable to provide an exact timeline, I'd expect the station to open by the third quarter of next year.

Costa Vida, a Lehi, Utah-based Mexican restaurant, has closed its lone Atlanta area location in Cumming. The restaurant, which opened in October of 2014, had replaced Laredo's Mexican Bar & Grill, a similar local restaurant. Sources indicate that the local Costa Vida franchisee had sold the restaurant about a month ago with talk then of the restaurant remaining in business. Something changed, and the decision was made to close the restaurant, despite local sources indicating the restaurant often did a robust business.

A new Del Taco is planned for Watson Boulevard in Centerville, a suburb of Warner Robins. The new freestanding, approximately 2,400 square foot restaurant will be built as part of Warner Robins Plaza. The center is being built on vacant land across from Warner Robins Dodge Chrysler Jeep RAM and will also house new locations of Wing Stop and Batteries + Bulbs, among other tenants. When the Del Taco opens, it will be the chain's tenth in Georgia.

T.I., who last year dipped his toes in the restaurant waters with Scales 925 in the former F.A.B. in downtown Atlanta, is now venturing in the gentleman's club business. T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris Jr., along with business partner Damon Cobbs, plan to open V Live this Friday at 1271 Marietta Boulevard. Like Scales 925, V Live also replaces a former gentleman's club, Diamonds of Atlanta. Cobbs already runs V Live in Houston, Texas, often advertised as "#1 Strip Club in the country." The Houston location was reportedly originally open 24/7, but has reduced those hours substantially to Tuesday through Sunday, 2AM-6AM. It's unclear what the hours of operation of the Atlanta location will be. Earlier this week, T.I. held open auditions for "talent" where a reported 1,600 ladies showed up to fill a reported 100 open positions. About five miles from V Live is Magic City, another successful, largely African American strip club that many credit with launching the careers of hip hop stars like Future. (A GQ article and video last year are both worth checking out if you want an education on just how influential Magic City is.)

A one-time Wendy's has been reborn as an energy-efficient Dunkin' Donuts on Buford Highway in Doraville. The eatery, located at 5872 Buford Highway, is just north of where a Krispy Kreme closed this past January. This Friday June 17th at 10AM, Dunkin' Donuts will celebrate the location's grand opening with free coffee, product samples and mascots Cuppy and Sprinkles appearing until noon.

Industry, California-based alt-retailer Hot Topic plans to open a new store at Sugarloaf Mills in Lawrenceville. The nearly 1,700 square foot store will be located in the Dave & Buster's and Medieval Times "zone" and should open in September. There are currently six Hot Topics stores in Georgia, but well placed sources indicate that the Sugarloaf store may replace the existing store at nearby Gwinnett Place Mall. The Gwinnett Place store may stay open through the holiday season, but is expected to close shortly after the new year. Another location at Mall of Georgia in Buford is expected to remain open.

Hastings Entertainment, the parent company of actively liquidating Movie Stop, has itself filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The Texas-based company has about 125 stores, mostly in the midwest, and is reportedly in active discussions with a handful of parties interesting in buying their business. Movie Stop stores are all closing and are not expected to reopen under any of the current plans.

A sign on the door at Superica says "Opening Soon!"

Ford Fry's new Superica Buckhead, originally slated for a late-May and then mid-June opening, is now targeting late June or early July. The most recent delay was reportedly caused by "floor issues."

Del Taco is coming to the new Kennesaw Marketplace development near the corner of Ernest Barrett and Cobb Parkways. Cobb county has been an especially good market for the Lake Forest, California-based chain with existing locations on Chastain Road near Kennesaw State University, East West Connector near Sprouts Farmers Market and on Cobb Parkway near SunTrust Park. There are currently nine Del Taco restaurants open in Georgia, with a tenth coming to Centerville (near Warner Robins) later this year. Real estate sources indicate the chain is "very active" in metro Atlanta and there is reason to believe we will soon see even more locations pop up around town.

Although the sales listing make a thin attempt to conceal its identification, Manhattan NY Deli & Bagel is currently listed for sale in Norcross. The business, located on Peachtree Parkway near The Forum, was previously known as Grouchy's NY Deli & Bagel but had its license revoked last yar and adoped the more generic name. The owner is reported moving back to New York. Among the highlights of the listing are "Complete Turn-Key Deli Business – Make Money Day One!" "Quality Deli & Bagel with Annual Gross Sales over $1 Million.""Owner will not sell if you talk to his employees!!!"

A new Aldi grocery store is coming to Cartersville. The new, roughly 18,500 square foot store will replace a former Long John Silver's and two other parcels near the intersection of Rowland Springs Road and M.L.K. Jr. Drive.

"Beltline"/"Murder"Kroger on Ponce de Leon Avenue, previously slated to close in May and later June, is now reportedly due to close August 19th. The dated and controversial store will close and be replaced by "725 Ponce,"a mixed-use development that will include a new Kroger on its ground floor. It's unclear what effect the Kroger closure delay will have on demolition and construction of the new development.

Toledo, Ohio-based Marco's Pizza, a growing take-out/delivery pizza shop, is finally in the home stretch on North Highland Avenue. In the works for over a year, the new pizza shop is reportedly on track to open next Monday, June 27th. The Marco's pizza shop opens in place of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Another heavily delayed Marco's location opened earlier this month on Bolton Road adjacent to an Exxon gas station. There are currently over 25 Marco's locations in metro Atlanta.

The three Atlanta area locations of Gladys Knight's Chicken & Waffles were abruptly closed yesterday following a raid by the Georgia Department of Revenue. The restaurants on located on Peachtree Street in midtown near Emory Midtown, in Lithonia near Stonecrest Mall and on Cascade Road just off exit 7 of I-285. Gladys Knight is not directly involved in the restaurants, and it is in fact her son that authorities are after. Shanga Hangerson, Knight's son, is accused of failing to remit over $650,000 in sales tax and withholding tax. With penalties and interest, the total due tops $1 million. As of last night, authorites had yet to serve Hangerson, who lives in metro Atlanta. Despite the closures, a restaurant representative indicated that the restaurant could be back up and running as soon as Thursday.

New restaurant coming to Roswell.

Jacksonville, Florida-based Metro Diner plans to open its first Atlanta area location later this year in Roswell. The restaurant will replace Coldbrew's Sports Bar & Grill, which closed this past April. The restaurant occupies an end-cap location in the "880 Holcomb" center on Holcomb Bridge Road.

Metro Diner, not to be confused with Metro Cafe Diner (with locations in downtown Atlanta and Stone Mountain) is a growing chain that started in Jacksonville, Florida.

There are currently 11 Metro Diner locations in Florida with a twelfth coming soon to St. Petersburg. There are also new and upcoming locations in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Indiana.

Father-and-sons founders John Sr., Mark and John Jr. Davoli purchased the original Metro Diner in 2000 (it first opened in 1992). In 2010, the restaurant was featured on Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." Soon after, the restaurant went from $900,000 in annual sales to nearly $2 million annually.

Slowly the restaurant grew, corporate locations first, and then franchising. The Davolis subsequently brought in ConSul Hospitality Partners to aid in the restaurant's growth. The group consists of Hugh Connerty, the original franchise partner of Outback Steakhouse and former CEO of Outback Steakhouse International, along with Outback founder Chris Sullivan and Carl Sahlsten, former president of Carrabba’s Italian Grill. The trio purchased a 50% stake in the business in 2014, and this past fall exercised their option to purchase the remaining 50%. The Davolis will remain partners in the first 15 restaurants.

(If the name Hugh Connerty sounds familiar, it should: his sons Jason and Hugh Connerty own Ammazza Pizza,a local pizzeria with locations in the Old Fourth Ward and coming soon to Decatur.)

The Metro Diner menu includes such items as Pittsburgh Steak Salad, featuring "a generous portion of NY Strip Steak" and their "famous" Meatloaf Plate.

The Roswell location is about 4,000 square feet plus an additional 640 square foot patio. The restaurant will provide inside seating for 144 patrons and patio seating for another 40.

Based on the hours of other locations, the restaurant serves breakfast all day, and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week.

While I've met Connerty and spoken with him about his restaurants, he was unavailable to comment for this post as were representatives from Metro Diner.

I could find no firm plans of additional metro area locations, but I'd say it's a safe bet that the owners are already looking at further Atlanta area expansion.

Metro Diner may challenge homegrown Flying Biscuit Cafe for breakfast business. An existing Flying Biscuit Cafe operates less than two miles away on Alpharetta Highway at Mansell Road.

Have you been to Metro Diner? Do you think Metro Diner will do well in Roswell? Where else would you like to see Metro Diner open?

Please share your thoughts below.

Classic "Greenhouse" Kroger with subsequent updates

Grocer plans to expand existing store

Cincinnati-based Kroger plans to expand its existing store at Howell Mill Square on Howell Mill Road. The expansion would see the current 58,000 square foot store swell to about 83,000 square feet. Exterior and interior evidence suggests the store was previously expanded, something confirmed by a local reader who estimates that about 20 years ago approximately 10,000 square feet were added.

Exterior evidence of the previous expansion

The current store has been renovated a few times but "greenhouse" front windows and low ceilings, trademark elements of the 70s/80s era Kroger stores, remain.

The currently proposed expansion would further consume everything to to the left of Kroger: Chin Chin and Mama Niki's Pizza. Chin Chin has reportedly been told they must vacate their space "within 60 days" and if the property's siteplan is accurate, have already been assigned a new location within the center. Marietta-based Retail Planning Group shows Chin Chin occupying suite C16, a 2,650 square foot space to the right of Kroger, adjacent to an existing Subway.

Mama Niki's and Chin Chin to the left of Kroger

Mama Niki's, a popular pizza restaurant established in 1996, reportedly has "term" left on a seven year lease and has not yet been formally made aware of any need to relocate.

Already the dominant grocer in Georgia, Kroger has been working to expand or relocate many of its stores as it seeks to diversify its product offerings and further increase its sales.

Kroger has completed similar expansions in Decatur and Brookhaven, among others, while another is proposed in Sandy Springs. (I have since confirmed the Sandy Springs expansion at Fountain Oaks would add 23,000 square feet to the existing nearly 60,000 square foot store.)

There is already one Publix (31,000 s/f) less than a mile from the Kroger store at Collier and Howell Mill Roads, with another (45,600 s/f) slated to open next spring at a redeveloped Moores Mill Center, about three miles away.

I inquired with a manager at the Howell Mill location as to what would be added if the expansion happens, his response was that it would be a "big beautiful store."

Contrary to local chatter, the expansion is not slated to include the addition of a Kroger fuel center, an amenity the company did add to their Citi Center location on Memorial Drive in 2014.

The fuel center is seen as a traffic driver for the grocer and its inclusion in the planned expansion of its Embry Village location is reportedly a prerequisite for the expansion to happen.

I contacted Glynn Jenkins, Public Relations Director for Kroger’s Atlanta Division, regarding a possible timeline at Howell Mill.

Jenkins indicated that "There is no timeline for the expansion of this project, as we continue to work through scope of work and layout of the store."

There are currently no building permits on file with the city of the Atlanta for the project. There is, however, a permit for "Commercial Miscellaneous Non-Structural" dated April 18th for a "Driveway realignment @ Kroger" with an estimated cost of $32,000. This work would seem to be a precursor to the store's expansion.

Calls for comment placed to Retail Planning Group were not immediately returned.

Are you in favor of the planned expansion? Do you prefer Publix or Kroger? Do you prefer one-stop-shop grocery stores or do you prefer a smaller, more general experience?

Please share your thoughts below.

Fast food chain booted from downtown hospital.

McDonald's was not offered a renewal of its lease at Grady Hospital and will close permanently Friday night. The restaurant, operated by a local franchisee, is located on the hospital's campus at 80 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive in downtown Atlanta, close to Georgia State University.

No official reason was provided for the closure but a medical group may have played a part.

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine [a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit of about 12,000 doctors] sponsored three billboards around the hospital this past spring urging Grady management not to renew the restaurant's lease which was up for renewal late this month.

There are reportedly a total of 14 on-premise McDonald’s at U.S. hospitals including another in metro Atlanta at Northside Hospital on Johnson Ferry Road.

A McDonald's source with whom I spoke indicated that the chain plans to look at opening elsewhere in the area to continue to serve its many customers in the community.

The Physicians Committee has also called on hospitals to close on-premise locations of Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A.

Earlier this year the group sponsored billboards near Chick-fil-A’s South Fulton headquarters asking consumers to “Eat More Chickpeas.” The group wants Chick-fil-A removed from Piedmont Fayette Hospital in Fayetteville, Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville and University Hospital in Augusta.

The Physicians Committee said Chick-fil-A operates in 19 U.S. hospitals.

Do you think it's wrong or inappropriate for hospitals to offer fast food options or should it be the consumers' decision as to where they eat? Do you feel McDonald's and Chick-fil-A are equally unhealthy? With what restaurant, business or other use would you like to see Grady repurpose the McDonald's?

Please share your thoughts below.

Bonus Bit - "The Founder" a film starring Michael Keaton as McDonalds'"founder" that was shot in Atlanta this past year, is due to be released in theaters August 5th.

Pie Shop in Buckhead has closed.

Mims Bledsoe, who opened Pie Shop in a hidden location tucked away from view off Roswell Road in 2011, has closed her business. Bledsoe promises to reopen elsewhere nearby in the following message to patrons on her email list:

"Thank you for an incredible 5 Years.

At the beginning of June, 2011 I was unsure what the response would be to a pie bakery opening in a hidden retail space in Buckhead's West Village. I simply hoped there would be some people out there like me who were looking for good homemade pie. Five years later I can say that there are indeed many, many folks who appreciate a slice of summer fruit baked under a pastry lattice, or a stovetop custard garnished with fresh whipped cream.

We have had seasonal ups and downs. You have seen us when we've been busy or slow. You have stood in line for your Thanksgiving pie, or come in for a summer key lime treat. During this off-season, the beginning of our 6th year, we are going through some big changes.

The shop at 3210 Roswell Road is now closed. Over the next couple of months I will be looking for our new location, hopefully within a stone's throw of our first home. I am very committed to staying in the neighborhood, as you all are the ones who have made it possible to do what we love: pie.

Over the past few months we have been trying to determine the future of our Buckhead location and many of you have been curious. Thank you for your questions, support and encouragement. As soon as I know our next stop, I will update you here and on the website, the-pie-shop.com. In the meantime, with any questions please email me at orders@the-pie-shop.com.

It has been a wonderful, wild ride at "PS1." As always, thank you for loving pie,

Mims"

Last year Bledsoe opened a second, more "comfortable" location in Virginia Highland, but after many delays and a June opening, the location was closed by the end of September.

dtox and Storico Fresco, former neighbors of Pie Shop on Roswell, have both recently relocated to new locations nearby. While the rent in their logistically challenged location was surely below market for the area, the interest in Buckhead's West Village has surely had an impact on their building with redevelopment likely in the works.

Buckhead is also seeing a surge in artisanal pie shops. Buttermilk Sky Pie, a Knoxville-based franchise, recently opened a shop in "Gateway," the new center on Roswell Road, just north of Buckhead in Sandy Springs. I live near this center and rarely see many people at the shop and it seems destined for trouble given the limited menu, mediocre pies and inferior location, but likely premium rent for the first generation space.

Southern Baked Pie Company (fka Buttermilk Pie Company) is targeting an early August opening at Buckhead Commons, a shopping center in the 3100 block of Peachtree Road in Buckhead. Southern Baked is being opened by 28-year-old Amanda Wilbanks, who opened the first location in Gainesville in 2013. While the Buckhead area shop is preparing to open, her pies are already available at nearby Lucy's Market.

The shop, which replaces Ageless Men's Health in the roughly 1,000 square foot spot, will apparently not bake on site but will instead have pies delivered from an off premise facility, likely the Gainesville location, or other commissary. A building permit on file with the city of Atlanta indicates the following:

"Commercial alteration of existing parcel to fit a retail food store. There will be demo of current interior walls with construction of new framed non-load bearing walls to be used for desert displays and coffee machines. There will be a small kitchen that is to be used strictly for storage of pies and preparing pies for purchase. The pies are made at an off-site location then transported to the site for retail. There is close to 1,000 sq ft to this suite."

Where do you think Pie Shop should reopen? Have you tried Southern Baked pies? Do you have a favorite pie place?

Please share your thoughts below.

The would-be Southern Season at Powers Ferry Square in north Buckhead

Southern Season files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Chapel Hill, N.C.-based Southern Season filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Friday. The filing is in an effort to stem losses at the gourmet food emporium and streamline operations to emerge leaner and more stable. The company plans to exit bankruptcy by December.

The filing comes on the heels of the chain's closure of their 53,000 square foot store in Richmond, Virginia this April. Earlier this week the chain also announced it will be closing its 44,000 square foot store in Mount Pleasant, S.C. The Mount Pleasant store opened in 2013 in a former Food Lion, but like the Richmond store, proved too large to be profitable.

When news broke of the Richmond closing, I spoke with Dave Herman, Southern Season's President & COO, about the planned Atlanta store in Buckhead. Herman indicated plans for the approximately 25,000 square foot store in Atlanta were still moving forward but that the opening had been pushed from the spring to the summer. While I have been unable to reach Herman again for comment, a press release distributed by company CFO Brian Fauver indicates the Atlanta store will not open.

Raleigh's The News & Observer was the only publication I could find to have verified this . Their shared with me the press release he obtained.

"It [the Company] had plans to open a 25,000 square foot store in Atlanta in late September. Under the plan to be filed, these three leases [Richmond, Mt. Pleasant & Atlanta] are expected to be rejected to allow the Company to focus on the smaller store growth plan and to strengthen its balance sheet and emerge from Chapter 11 within six months."

Plans sit idle for the would-be Southern Season store in north Buckhead

The most recently filed building permit on file with the City of Atlanta is dated June 10th and describes work as "Southern Season Interior alteration of an existing tenant space for a new specialty food tenant. Scope includes new grease traps and truck well." The estimated cost of the work is $800,000.

I visited the property this weekend and while it was evident that it was an active construction site, it seemed plausible that work had stopped days prior.

Store associates at Southern Season stores in Chapel Hill and Raleigh confirmed that plans for the Atlanta store have been canceled.

The current exterior of the would-be Southern Season store in north Buckhead

The Atlanta store was first announced this past August to be coming to Regency Center's Powers Ferry Square in North Buckhead.

Going forward, the 41 year old chain plans to gradually expand its smaller format "Taste of Southern Season" store, of which it currently has two (Charleston and Raleigh), with a third expected to open July 1st in Asheville.

Additional Taste of Southern Season stores are set to open before Christmas in Wilmington and Southern Pines, N.C.

The Atlanta store, while far smaller than the "megastores" in Richmond and Mt. Pleasant, was still larger than the "Taste" stores which on average will measure 4,000-7,000 square feet.

The successful 59,000 square foot flagship store in Chapel Hill, N.C. remains profitable and is will reportedly be unaffected by the filing.

Are you surprised that the Atlanta Southern Season store has been cancelled? Do you think Southern Season will find extended success in their smaller format "Taste of Southern Season" stores? What would you like to open in the would-be Southern Season space in Buckhead?

Please share your thoughts below.

AC Hotel to open on Phipps Plaza property.

Atlanta's first AC Hotel by Marriott will debut at Phipps Plaza late next month. The hotel is expected to open the week of July 25th, sadly not in time for those wishing to stay during the upcoming July 4th holiday/Peachtree Road Race.

The newly built hotel sits at the corner of Peachtree and Wieuca Roads in Buckhead. The hotel is a joint venture between Simon Property Group, the owner of Phipps Plaza (among other properties), and Atlanta based Noble Investment Group, owners of W - Atlanta Buckhead, among other properties.

The new AC Hotel Atlanta Buckhead at Phipps Plaza as seen from Wieuca Road

Noble already operates an AC Hotel in Kansas City and has plans for another in Atlanta near the Four Seasons Hotel. The project, currently planned for a 2018 opening, will actually be dual branded with both the AC and a "Moxy Hotel," Marriott's latest brand, targeted at millennials.

A third AC is in the works for downtown Atlanta near Centennial Park, where an existing Holiday Inn will be reflagged. "Peachtree Hotel Group" is planning the downtown property and hopes to have it open early next year.

The AC brand was born in Spain, and is seen as a stylish and cosmopolitan hotel where select design elements are tailor-made for each property.

Things are getting close at the AC Bar at the AC Hotel in Buckhead

The "AC Hotel Atlanta Buckhead at Phipps Plaza" will have six floors and 166 guest rooms. Three meeting rooms (Buckhead, Lenox and Phipps) make up the approximately 1,200 square feet of meeting space.

Public space is all branded, including the "AC Bar,""AC Library,""AC Kitchen," and the "AC Lounge." The AC Kitchen will offer self-serve European fare and will serve as the hotel's on-premise food option. Nearby dining options include Davio's Northern Italian Steakhouse and The Tavern at Phipps, among others. In addition, Fifth Group plans to open a freestanding Ecco adjacent to the AC in late 2017.

Soon this mini pool and fitness center will welcomes guests

The hotel will also have a small indoor pool and 24-hour fitness center.

Rates at the AC Buckhead are expected to hover around $200 per night for basic king bed rooms, with the hotel a "Category 4" for Marriott Rewards members.

Cool sliding glass doors inside a basic guestroom at the AC Hotel in Buckhead

The AC is sure to compete, at least for some business, with the nearby The Ritz-Carlton Buckhead, another Marriott property. Most notably, the AC will be the closest hotel, and only onsite hotel, for retail vendors visiting existing stores in Phipps Plaza or those in town for extended periods of time opening new stores. Given Simon is jointly involved in the hotel, it's reasonable to surmise they will offer competitive pricing to attract not only vendors, but also those visiting the mall to shop, as well.

The AC website reflects there being ten properties in the U.S., but further investigation shows only six are in fact open. (Neither of the additional Atlanta properties are currently listed.) Another AC Hotel is under construction in Spartanburg, South Carolina and is also not yet listed on the website despite its planned 2017 opening.

Are you excited for the AC Hotel to be opening in Buckhead? Have you ever stayed at an AC Hotel, domestically or abroad? What is your favorite Buckhead hotel? Why?

Please share your thoughts below.

The new Cook Out will likely look like this

Growing burger chain planning another location.

North Carolina-based Cook Out, which specializes in "Char-Grilled" hamburgers" and features over 40 different flavors of milkshakes, is planning yet another Cobb county location. The new freestanding restaurant is to be built on Cobb Parkway North in Marietta. The restaurant would be situated at the corner of Cobb Parkway North and Roswell Street, across from KFC's Big Chicken.

The approximately 2,800 square foot restaurant would be built on a roughly one acre parcel where most recently a car lot operated before being demolished and left vacant years ago.

Cook Out is also famous for its $4.99 combo meal, which includes a sandwich, two sides and a drink. (The combo can be upgraded for a dollar to include a milkshake instead of a drink.)

This upcoming location as well as the previously announced restaurant planned for South Cobb Drive are likely intended to capitalize on the increased traffic the new SunTrust Park will bring to the area.

In addition to the Cobb Parkway North and South Cobb Drive locations, Cook Out has locations coming soon to Scenic Highway in Snellville, Glenwood Avenue in Dalton, Peach Orchard Road in Augusta and Battlefield Parkway in Fort Oglethorpe.

When these upcoming locations open, the chain which entered the Georgia market in mid 2013, will have over 30 locations in Georgia.

Are you excited for Cook Out to be opening another Cobb county location? What is your favorite milkshake at Cook Out? Where would you like to see Cook Out open next?

Please share your thoughts below.

The new Kroger is so big it's hard to capture in a picture

The new 109,000 square foot Kroger opens today at Glenwood Marketplace near the intersection of Glenwood Avenue and Bill Kennedy Way. The store is not quite a "Marketplace" store, but does carry more products than a typical Kroger store.

Ron Eyester has resurfaced as the executive chef at Nancy G's at Fountain Oaks shopping center on Roswell Road in Sandy Springs. I actually like Nancy G's (which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary) and hope Eyester doesn't ruin it like he did his restaurants.

Supercuts has opened in the Publix/T.J. Maxx-anchored Briarcliff Village near Northlake Mall. If memory serves, the hair salon previously had a location in the nearby Michael's-anchored Briarcliff LaVista shopping center.

The existing North Atlanta Urgent Care on Clairmont Road has been converted to a Piedmont Urgent Care by Wellstreet.

Pieology has opened its first Atlanta area location at The Atwater across from Avalon on Old Milton Parkway in Alpharetta. The Santa Margarita, California-based quick service pizza eatery has plans for a handful of additional locations in metro Atlanta in the coming years.

Dunkin' Donuts is opening a new location within an existing BP convenience store near the intersection of Cotillion Drive and North Peachtree Road, just off I-285. Dunkin' Donuts also opened a shop in the existing BP at the corner of Spring Street and North Avenue, among others it has opened in convenience stores around Atlanta.

Uncle Jack's Meat House plans to open next month at "Shoppes on Sugarloaf," a small strip center adjacent to Infinite Energy Arena (fka The Arena at Gwinnett Center). The new steak house opens in place of Cotton & Corn Kitchen Bar which opened in the center in 2014 and closed last year. The restaurant space is 2,400 square feet with additional space on its outdoor patio. The restaurant, which will serve lunch and dinner as well as weekend brunch, will seat about 50 people inside, about 14 at the bar, and about 75 on its patio. The concept from restaurateur Willie Degel, host of Food Network's (reportedly faked and cancelled) “Restaurant Stakeout," will be the first outside of Degel’s native New York. Degel already operates an Uncle Jack’s Meat House in Queens, as well as New York locations of Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse, Uncle Jack’s Steak Sandwich Shop and Jack’s Shack.

In related news, the upcoming "Embassy Suites by Hilton Atlanta NE Gwinnett Sugarloaf," currently under construction on Satellite Boulevard near Infinite Energy Arena, will no longer feature a steakhouse. When I first wrote about the project in 2009, it was to feature a "Shula's America's Steakhouse." After the hotel stalled amidst the financial crisis, rumors were that Ruth's Chris Steak House, a longtime partner of Embassy Suites, would open with the hotel. In fact, neither will happen. Instead, Brickstones Grill, a house restaurant of the Embassy Suites brand, will open in the hotel. Brickstones is described by ownership as "a contemporary American grill that features a unique a la carte experience." Embassy Suites plans to open February 2017.

A new Moe's Southwest Grill is coming to the food court of Cumberland Mall in Cobb county. Moe's joins fellow Focus Brands Cinnabon and Auntie Anne's in the food court already.

Neighbors are not happy about a proposed "Gen 3"QuikTrip (QT) planned for Beaver Ruin and Indian Trail Roads. The new QT would replace The Crossings, an existing shopping center. An existing "outdated" QT about a half mile away on Beaver Ruin Road and Norcross Parkway would likely close if the new location is opened.

S&S Cafeteria to close popular Embry Village location

S&S Cafeteria, an Embry Village mainstay since 1973, has announced it will close after dinner service on Sunday, July 10th. The restaurant is not closing due to lack of business, on the contrary, the restaurant is doing quite well. Sadly the restaurant has fallen victim to the expansion plans of neighboring Kroger. S&S had most recently been on a month-to-month lease with their most recent lease due to expire today, June 30th.

Kroger plans to build what is calls a "Kroger Marketplace" store in place of its current store as well as the S&S and adjacent recently shuttered motel. The new Marketplace store, larger than even the recently enlarged Decatur and Brookhaven stores and even the gargantuan Glenwood Marketplace store that opened yesterday in Grant Park, will measure about 114,000 square feet. The store will include such additional departments as "baby world," apparel, a Fred Meyer jewelry store, Starbucks, The Little Clinic, and expanded selections of existing departments, among other things. The store is also slated to include a Kroger fuel center.

Typical look of a Kroger Marketplace

Many area residents were split on their opinions of the redevelopment. Some pointed out the fact that the S&S recently failed a heath inspection. (Ask any individual with industry experience and they will tell you how flawed the system is ) Others lamented the potential loss of what has become a favorite place for after church meals. One thing is for sure, there is definitely still a market for the freshly prepared food and genuine hospitality served at the S&S. While I had lived nearby and worked at nearby Regal Cinemas Hollywood 24 for a couple years, only recently did a longtime ToNeTo Atanta reader introduce me to the restaurant. In turn, I re-introduced the restaurant to a former co-worker of mine who had not visited the S&S in over 40 years who is now so enamored with the freshness and service that he had made an effort to return as many as four days a week. (It's worth noting that my friend lives less than a half mile from the Piccadilly Cafeteria on Howell Mill Road but drives nearly 13 miles to dine at the S&S.)

Diners making selections from the day's meal options

My friend is not alone in his dedication and preference for the S&S as it's not uncommon for patrons to drive 20+ miles to dine at the cafeteria. Some patrons enjoy as many as 13 meals a week at the S&S!

If you have never been to the S&S before I definitely recommend you make an effort to have at least one meal there before it closes.

Metro Atlanta's only other S&S is located in Campbellton Plaza on Campbellton Road in southwest Atlanta (about 22 miles from the Embry Village restaurant). S&S also operates a cafeteria in Augusta and two in Macon. In addition, there are also locations in Greenville and Charleston, South Carolina and Knoxville, Tennessee.

While the S&S is closing and there are reportedly no plans to reopen it elsewhere nearby, I have heard talk of longtime patrons opening a very similar establishment in an effort to recreate the S&S. A lease has not been executed on the new space yet but is expected to be finalized in the coming days at which point the entrepreneurs have promised me that ToNeTo Atlanta readers will be the first to know. While the new enterprise will be unable to use the S&S name, the name I've heard will be used should resonate with locals.

I spoke to J.A. Smith IV, President of Cafeteria Operations for Macon based Smith and Sons Foods, the Cafeteria's parent company in February. Mr. Smith lamented that "we don't have the money to take on Kroger." Smith was complimentary of the Embry Hills community that has supported his family's restaurant since 1973. "We have lots of loyal customers and we love every one of them."

While Mr. Smith's busy work schedule prevented me from reaching him again more recently, earlier assertions that the S&S would remain in place until late 2016 / early 2017 proved untrue. "We are gonna ride it to the last minute...'till they have a bulldozer at our door," Smith said then of the closure timeline. While a few spaces within Embry Village were reportedly offered to Smith as relocation options, they all came at significantly higher rents and in far smaller spaces than would be needed to operate the current cafeteria model. The current S&S is 9,325 square feet.

The preliminary site plan for the redevelopment

This past Tuesday's Board of Commissioners meeting voted on an important change that paves the way for the Kroger development. The commission unanimously (6-0-0) voted to "permit fuel pumps at large-scale retailers within 1,000 feet of an interstate highway interchange without the need for a Special Land Use Permit." By the same margin, commissioners approved a rezoning request to allow redevelopment of the Embry Hills Kroger, which benefits from the SLUP change.

Last week I received this response from Glynn Jenkins, Public Relations Director for Kroger’s Atlanta Division as it relates to whether they would proceed without the fuel center (as I'd heard they would) and to the timeline for the new store. (READ, this response was given prior to the commissions approval this week)

"The fuel center is a critical component of the Embry Village expansion. Kroger actively seeks opportunities to provide shoppers with convenient locations and amenities to create a great shopping experience. Kroger fuel centers are a great way to deliver additional value to our customers, and we would like to provide this added value to the residents in this area. If Kroger has all necessary permits this summer, construction would commence later this fall."

Kroger officials review the site plans for the new store

Given this week's vote, it would seem reasonable for the company to begin work later this fall. Sources indicate that if this timeline proves accurate, the new store should open in late 2017 or early 2018.

Will you miss the S&S? If you are an S&S fan, what do you like most about it? Does the idea of a one stop shop Kroger Marketplace excite you?

Please share your thoughts below.

Philipp Plein Plans Phipps Plaza Premiere

Bits & Bites

Culver's Confirmed in Canton

Cook Out Coming to South Cobb Drive

Bits & Bites

British Brand Ted Baker to Debut in Buckhead

Varasano's Pizzeria Folds at Perimeter Mall

Two New Concepts Coming to Cumberland

Wade's to Hatch Next Year in Smyrna

Bits & Bites

Bits & Bites

Popular Jacksonville Restaurant Rolls into Roswell

Kroger Planning Howell Mill Square Store Expansion

McDonald's to Close Restaurant at Grady Hospital

Pie Shop Bakes Last Buckhead Pie...For Now

Southern Season Plans to Cancel Atlanta Store In Chapter 11 Filing

Atlanta's First AC Hotel to Debut Late Next Month

Cook Out Plans to Fire Up the Grill in the Big Chicken's Backyard

Bits & Bites

Historic Cafeteria to Close July 10th, Giant Kroger Coming Soon